Utkarsh – Demystifying Indian Dance

A Lecture Demonstration series

Varṇam – Mother of Manodharma

By Nandini Ramani

An NCPA Presentation

Utkarsh is an interactive lecture-demonstration series designed to introduce the audience to Indian classical dance. By taking audiences on a journey through each dance form ’ s historical origins, distinct identifiers like aharya and mudras , unique music and foundational movements, it demystifies traditional art forms, showcasing the incredible richness and vast repertoire of India’s dance heritage. This month we feature, renowned Bharatanatyam artiste, N andini Ramani .

Nandini Ramani is a senior Bharatanatyam exponent, teacher, dance critic who has trained under T. Balasarawati and K. Ganesan. She has also received training in v ocal c arnatic m usic under Prof. B. Krishnamoorthy and speciali s ed training underT. Mukta. Ramani has performed extensively across India and abroad and also writes on various topics of pe rforming a rt s and c ulture. She is a recipient of the Central Sangeet Natak Ak a demi Award, New Delhi, Natya Padma Award from the Brahma Gana Sabha and Kartik Rajagopal Memorial Award among others and a sitting m ember of certain c ommittees under the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of I & B. Ramani is the Managing Trustee of the Dr. V. Raghavan Centre for Performing Arts, a non-profit organi s ation initiated by her mother, Sarada Raghavan, wife of the illustrious Sanskrit Scholar and Indologist Dr. V. Raghavan for nurturing and propagating multifaceted aspects of Sanskrit l anguage, Indian c ulture, p erforming a rts and h eritage.

Varṇam in Bharatan a ṭyam, is a central item of great importance. It has two components, n ṛitta and a binaya , both complimenting each other. Varṇam or Varṇanam denotes description of any musical piece featuring both technical and melodic elements, serving as a comprehensive description or blueprint of a ra ga .

Entry free on a first come, first served basis.